


Do Not Hesitate to Leap

by championofnone



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 11:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3207839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/championofnone/pseuds/championofnone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hawke brothers, arm in arm in the thick of the fight once again. Now, they're just fighting to get out of the Fade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do Not Hesitate to Leap

**Author's Note:**

> There was a post going around on tumblr a bit ago saying "what would happen if a Warden!Hawke sibling was there instead of the other possible Wardens? Well, it wouldn't leave my head, so here ya go.

"Y’know, Junior, I really should’ve seen this coming."

Carver snorted, wiping a smear of blood from dripping into his eyes. “Too bad there’s no Hanged Man where we can drink over it anymore.” 

Varric laughed, truly laughed, startling the Inquisitor just a bit. No one of the Inquisition had heard him laugh without it feeling weighted, resigned, bitter. Despite the situation and being trapped in the Fade, it was good to hear. “Not what I meant. Just…you, me, Hawke, stuck in nug shit once again.”

"At least we’re here together," Hawke added, grime coating his face. "I just want to take a bath, and this water’s starting to look inviting." 

”I wouldn’t recommend that,” Dorian added, hair slicked back against his head from sweat. “You would probably drown the second the toe of your boot touches it.” 

The Inquisitor and the Seeker were ahead, searching for the objects a few fonts had requested. No one wanted to really think about how a font can request things. 

The group descended down a massive flight of stairs, giant slabs of rock surrounding them the further they went down. A hissing noise led them to draw their weapons, a barrier cast in the widest range possible, Cassandra tearing into - 

\- Maker, she was tearing into  _Bethany._

"No! Bethany!" Hawke screamed, trying to rush forward to stop the swing of Cassandra’s sword. Carver grabbed his arm, face ashen and sword fallen. 

"Brother, that’s - that’s not her. It’s not Bethany." He tried to sound reassuring, but he voice broke on his twin’s name. He looked haunted, the kind of haunted that led to years of lost sleep, the kind that nothing could drown out or cover up. 

Varric looked almost as shaken up as he stepped over to Hawke. “Let’s just hope that was the last of whatever that was.”

"Unlikely," Dorian explained, "Those were likely just smaller terrors. We are in this demon’s home, after all. I doubt it would show itself so readily." 

"Suddenly I’m glad mine was just spiders," the Inquisitor mumbled. "Come on, we need to keep moving if we want to get out of here." 

They followed the Inquisitor, the Hawke brothers and Varric bringing up the absolute rear of the party, a quiet solidarity over the three of them.

Another group of lessor fear demons found them not long after, and Hawke fought with his heart in his throat and horror in his gut. They took the shape of everyone he’d lost, the ones he’d failed, everyone he couldn’t save.

He threw up after he lopped off his mother’s head.

"Brother." Carver didn’t try sounding brave anymore. Hawke shut his eyes and gripped his younger brother’s extended arm. "It wasn’t Mother. It wasn’t Father. It wasn’t - it wasn’t. It’s not them."

"I wish I believed you, Carver."

"I know."

The Inquisitor didn’t push them to leave this time, instead moving on to solve another font’s problem, Cassandra keeping guard as Dorian poked at the remains of one of the fear demons. Hawke didn’t want to know why.

"You okay there, Hawke?" Varric asked, brow furrowed in concern. "I heard you - it was Leandra, wasn’t it?"

"Yeah," he swallowed, throat tight and dry. "It was Mother." He took a deep breath before standing back up to his full height. "Let’s go. I’m going to kill this fucking demon if it’s the last thing I do."  

The followed the glowing silhouette of the Divine as the fear demon taunted them through the fights, through the two massive pride demons, through the trap it laid to ensnare them. The Inquisitor landed a near fatal blow, the Seeker tearing into it from the other side, and the Nightmare screamed, enraged. It blinked out of existence, and the ground began to shake.

"Go! You must go now!" the spirit of the Divine yelled at them, voice resonating across the chamber. "I will hold it off as long as I can!"

They ran. Dorian and Cassandra took off, the Seeker grabbing Varric away from Hawke’s side as he called out to the brothers. 

The Nightmare stepped in between the groups before they could rejoin, spittle flying as it roared at them. 

"One of us has to take this down."

Hawke whipped his head to look at his brother. “Carver, no, I won’t let you do this. It’s my fault you’re with the Wardens already.”

Carver laughed, a hollow, tinny thing. “I  _wanted_ to go to the Deep Roads, remember? I all but begged you not to leave me behind. My problems are not your fault, Brother, not this time.”

"It’s my fault Father’s gone. My fault Bethany’s gone, Mother’s gone," Hawke was trying to bargain at this point. "I can’t have your death on my hands, too. I can’t, Carver."

Carver smiled at him, clapping his hand on Hawke’s shoulder. “And you have someone you need to get home to, Brother. He needs you, more than I have in a long, long time.” 

Hawke’s argument died in his throat. Yes, he did, he knew Fenris was waiting for him out there beyond the Fade, but this was too much. 

"Warden Carver." The Inquisitor’s voice cut through the mild tension, voice as neutral as possible and refusing to turn to them. "If you could. I’m sorry."

Carver nodded, unsheathing his oversized sword one last time. “It’s been an honor, Inquisitor. Fight well, and win this. Brother -” He was cut off as Hawke gathered him into a tight hug, arms around his brother’s shoulders, tight as he could get them around the armor. Carver gripped his back just as tightly. “I’m going to miss you, you ass.” 

"Don’t do this, Carver,  _please_ ,” Hawke was begging now, arms sliding to simply grip Carver’s shoulders. “ _Don’t_.” 

Carver pushed him away. “Inquisitor. Make sure he gets out of here. He needs to go home after this.” 

The Inquisitor nodded, grabbing Hawke’s arm and starting the run as Carver swung into the Nightmare, severing one of it’s legs. Hawke’s scream couldn’t be heard over the Nightmare’s howls. 

He hacked his way through as much as he could, and felt the pulse of the rift at his back close.  _Safe_ , he thought,  _my idiot brother is safe_. He was covered in the thing’s blood, holes in the steel of his armor from it’s fangs and talons. 

This was it. He wasn’t holding out much longer against this.  _"The world fears the inevitable plummet into the_   _abyss,_ "he muttered. The phrase had been said to him so long ago, but felt like yesterday as he drove his blade into the demon once again.  _  
_

“ _And when that moment comes, do not hesitate to leap_.”


End file.
